My career in chemistry effectively began while I was still at Indiana
State. I spent summers in a number of different settings, practicing and furthering
what I had learned. I spent a summer in the Quality Control lab at Eli Lilly in
Clinton, IN; a summer (and most semesters thereafter) doing research with Dr.
Kjonaas at ISU; a summer doing research at the University of Iowa; and I had
numerous "odd" jobs as lab assistant, chemistry tutor, and even making kits for
detecting illegal racing fuel additives at a local racing fuel company. I spent
the summer before graduate school at Argonne National Lab near Chicago. Almost
all of these experiences came via recommendations and suggestions from my professors
at ISU.

I took a job as a Research Scientist at Procter & Gamble immediately after
completing my PhD in Inorganic Chemistry, and thus began a career in industrial
chemistry that has proven more amazing than my wildest dreams. My first several
years were spent working on laundry products for developing (a.k.a. third-world)
countries where many women are still washing clothes in buckets and streams with
unclean water. The chemistry was challenging and diverse and my eyes were opened
wide by travels to many developing nations. (At last count I have been to over
20 countries on 4 continents.) My research led to multiple US and international
patents in areas as diverse as water-soluble polymers, new surfactants, oxidizing
bleaches, new enzymes, and overall formulation.

A couple of promotions later and I found myself leading a research team of over
20 scientists working on liquid laundry formulations such as Liquid Tide, Cheer,
and Gain. Again, the complexity of the chemistry and the global nature of the job
proved stimulating and rewarding. The work also carried me to Brussels, Belgium
where I worked for over 2 years and then on to Beijing, China where I lived for
over 4 years. In China I led a research team on a number of diverse projects,
including discovery and engineering of new enzymes, development of new nano-particle
technology, and new water-soluble polymers. I also led numerous joint research
projects between P&G and various Chinese universities and the Chinese Academy of
Sciences.

The excitement of a career in chemistry is that it always brings something new.
I could not tell you today exactly what I'll be doing in 3 or 6 months. It depends
on where the research leads, what the business needs are, and any number of other
factors. It's a career of continual learning, new surprises every day, and it
offers a chance to really make a difference. The personal education I received
at ISU laid a great foundation for everything that has followed.